There is a tradition in theater to dim the lights of all theater marquees at a predetermined time to honor the death of a theater legend.
On Sunday, April 16, the lights will go completely dark at the Majestic Theater on 44th Street in Manhattan to signal the end of a legendary theatrical event. After 35 years and a few months “The Phantom of the Opera” is closing its Broadway run.
It seems almost unthinkable that anyone living in or visiting New York City will not have access to a production of “Phantom.” There are many who predict a relatively quick revival. But for the foreseeable future, the Phantom has left the building.
Without question, “Phantom” was not only the longest running show on Broadway, but the most popular. The statistics for the show with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart and a libretto by Webber and Richard Stilgoe are mind boggling.
More than 13,900 performances over 35 years, with an attendance of more than 20,145,000 people. It created an estimated 6,500 jobs and offered employment to multitudes of actors. On a global level, it has played to 145 million people in 41 countries and is in its 36th year on London’s West End.
But in today’s world, popularity is not the prime measurement of success. The closing of “Phantom” is purely a business decision.
In fact, the closing is a case study of a Broadway that is in a state of redefining itself. No one denies that one reason “Phantom” ran so long is that it was a tourist-dependent show that relied on an out-of-town audience for a great portion of its revenues. COVID crippled that market by shutting theaters and severely limiting tourism.
The entire entertainment industry is still coping with recapturing the market for entertainment outside the home.
Obviously, the more expensive the show, the larger the potential for loss.
In an interview with the New York Times, Cameron Mackintosh, the producer of “Phantom” said the show had been losing money for months. A closing was originally scheduled in February, shortly after its 35th anniversary.
A strong boost in ticket sales gave the show a temporary reprieve. Indeed, its highest grossing week ever was $3,648,872 on April 3-9, this year.
To the average eye it seems to defy logic that a show with a lowest grossing week of $71,291 would lose money. However, Mackintosh claims expenses have risen $100,000 a month since COVID. He estimates the show’s expenses have increased well past the pre-COVID number of $950,000 a month. Meanwhile, box office receipts have decreased 10-15% on average. The result is that some recent months losses have been about a million dollars.
The numbers are staggering; that is until you realize every production of “Phantom” is a mini-industry. There are 130 people in the cast and crew. It has 230 costumes, 14 dressers, 120 automated light cues and 22 scene changes. It uses 231 candles, 250 lbs. of dry ice and 10 fog and smoke machines. Let’s not ignore a majestic chandelier that falls and an eerie boat ride under the Paris Opera House.
Perhaps one of the grandest expenses is a throwback to the golden age of musical theater. That’s the 27-member orchestra that helps provide the lavish romantic mood of the show.
This brings us to the long term implications of “Phantom’s” closing. The show opened on Broadway January 26, 1988. It was near the end of the era of big, gorgeous and expensive shows.
“Phantom’s” closing signals the death of that business model. The shows still running that survive because they fit as tourist attractions are “Chicago” and “The Lion King,” both in their 25th year on Broadway. “Wicked” opened 20 years ago and “Book of Mormon” in 2011. And let’s not neglect “Hamilton.”
You can add another show in that business model - “Cats,” the second-longest running show of all time. Interestingly, it too was written by Webber. It ran for 7,500 performances and gave meaning to its tag line - “Now and Forever.”
Each show mentioned is produced with few costume changes and offered on a single set, with a small orchestra and a modest sized cast. It is doubtful that you will soon, if ever, see another extravaganza musical like “Phantom” on Broadway.
Besides the almost ostentatious appeal of the show there is something to be said how such trappings add to both the theatricality of the experience and heighten the romantic music through a large orchestra.
Kevin McGuire, a local actor from Hoosick Falls, had the honor of playing the leads in both “Phantom” in NY and Toronto and the lead in “Les Misérables” in NY. (The third-longest production in Broadway history.)
At one point he left “Phantom” to perform in what he calls “the muscular, energetic” “Les Misérables.” After a stint with “Les Miz,” he returned to “Phantom.” That return reminded him of the gentle beauty of the score and the story that is the soul of “Phantom.”
He said that being in the show he became wrapped up in the romance as a performer and easily understands why it was beloved by audiences. An interesting factoid offered by McGuire is that the title character is only on stage for about 30-minutes.
It is easy to think of “Phantom” for its spectacle. But, upon reflection, its genius was its ability to tell a simple love story in extravagant terms.
Though its closing leaves a hole on Broadway, fear not- it will likely tour forever - but we all know it won’t be the same.
Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.
